Chronicles of the Two Worlds
by themans
Summary: Stormy days in Konoha and mysterious figures begin to appear
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, so this is my first attempt at writing a fanfic and this story has been cooking in my mind for quite sometime. I don't have a clear picture of the whole thing yet and I'll be making it up as i go along. The story is set just before Boruto: The Movie. So please read and review and let me know your feedback. Also if u have any suggestions as to story progression, feel free to let me know.**

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 **Visitor in the Night**

It was way past midnight in Konoha. Monsoon had finally settled in its full bloom and it was raining heavily since the past few days, tonight however the rain was accompanied by heavy lightning and thundering, drenching the hidden village till the streets reflected the sky. Consequently, the citizens of the village of leaves were inside their homes and the streets empty. Even the shinobi on watch were seeking the comfort of their guard towers, preferring to keep watch from the potholes therein. It was in this dark and damp night, that a lone bedraggled figure staggered along the empty streets seeking shelter…..

The household of the 7th hokage was in a noisy state of affairs even in the depths of the night. The lights were out since the past few hours and Boruto and Himawari were playing around in the candle light, with the former pretending to be ghost wrapped in shawls and chasing the latter around. Hinata was reading up on the latest edition of _"Modern Jutsu: Hand to Hand Edition"_ while the Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto was holed up in his home office clenching his hair at all the paperwork that needed to be done.

Following his father's example, Naruto had chosen not to live in the Hokage residence, rather choosing to have a separate residence. It made sense to him to separate his professional and familial lives in that manner lest he forget what was what, although it did not mean that he could simply leave behind his work once he had left the Hokage tower. It seemed that being Hokage was not simply about awesome ninjitsu, badass enemies and epic adventures, infact those things didn't even make up half of things that being hokage was about as he looked at the monthly scouting reports which took form of a foot long stack of papers.

'At times like these I wish I could just put on my forehead protector, go to the training grounds and throw shurikens all night…' he thought.

Stifling a yawn, he decided to take a break and play around with the kids for a while, if Hinata permitted them to stay up for a while longer that is. As he made his way out of the office door towards the kids' noises he heard a single loud knock on the front door.

'Who could it be at this hour?...probably an emergency' he thought as he made his way to the front door. But Boruto and Himawari had gotten there first and were about to open door without asking who it was prompting Naruto to quicken his pace to reach them.

"Boruto wait…." He said, but the blond boy had already turned the handle and the door was swinging open just as Naruto came to stand behind the children. The door swung open just as a crack of lightning and thunder danced across the sky, temporarily illuminating the porch and the figure standing at the door. It was a man, dishevelled and tired looking with a ragged look about him. His clothes were torn and tattered; it also appeared that he was injured somehow, although that could be because of the exhausted stance with which he was holding himself up. But those were not the features that caused the Hokage to narrow his eyes in suspicion; it was his eyes, they had a wild look about them. They were eyes that appeared to have seen a lot of great and terrible things and shone with a mysterious terrible power.

"Boruto, Himawari go inside to your mother." He ordered curtly.

The children heard the strict tone of their father and started to back away from the door just as their mother came in to see what was going on.

"Naruto…who is…"

"Some food please…" the visitor muttered; his words almost unintelligible due to the exhaustion that was evident from his voice.

"Meat would be preferable…..if you could spare some….."

Hinata looked at the visitor as he spoke out his request. She tried to figure out their visitor. His clothing made him look like an ordinary street ruffian, but his bearing gave away an entirely different identity. Even in his bedraggled state it was evident that this was no ordinary person. He carried himself with an authority that clearly stated that he was not a stranger to power and respect.

Most notably she noted that the person was sporting a cheerful grin, as if he dint have a care for his state of affairs, and she somehow knew that if he was rejected from their door he would smile the same way and move further on for help.

He wore a long black coat that fell all the way to his feet. Underneath, he wore what appeared to be a sleeveless red jacket, strangely the man's hands were not in the sleeves of the coat, rather they hung by his side giving the coat he was wearing a cape like appearance. He wore blue shorts held by a yellow sash and open sandals on his feet.

The most remarkable item of clothing that she noticed was a dishevelled hat made out of straw that he wore on his head.

 _What strange dressing. I wonder where he is from. Not from around here certainly._ She thought.

The man doubled over and started coughing violently interrupting her thoughts. She suddenly felt pity for the stranger and felt that she needed to help him.

"Please come in sir, you'll get worse if u stay in the rain any longer." She said out loud causing Naruto to glance at her questioningly.

She stared back at him, letting him know that she was determined to help the man no matter what. A few seconds later Naruto nodded and stepped aside letting the door swing open, allowing the stranger room to enter, all the while keeping his eyes on him.

"Arigato" the man whispered cheerfully and started to make his way inside just when Naruto's hand came resting on his shoulder, stopping him.

The man turned to look at him, his smile never leaving his face while Naruto just stared at the man. They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time to Hinata as thunder rumbled in the sky.

"Naruto-kun….." she started.

"We intend to help with good intentions in our hearts. I hope that you intend to receive our hospitality with similar good will" Naruto said politely.

The stranger stared back at Naruto, his smile getting wider.

"Of course of course mister" he said with a chuckle. "I doubt I can think of any intentions, good or bad in the state that I am".

"Very well, please follow me to the table." Naruto said curtly. "Hinata, please set some food for our guest here."

Hinata nodded and proceeded towards the kitchen to get the food ready. She could not understand why Naruto was being so cautious and stern with the stranger. It wasn't as if he could pose a threat in the state that he was; even if he could, he was in the Hokage's home and there were not many people in the world that could cause trouble in the presence of the Seventh. And yet Naruto kept staring at the stranger as if he was a serious threat. She soon whipped up some meat gravy and rice for the stranger and some tea for all of them and made her way to where they all were sitting. Boruto and Himawari had also seated themselves at the table beside their father and were peeking at the stranger from behind his back.

The light wasn't back yet and consequently two fat tallow candles were burning at the table casting shadows of the seated people on the walls behind them. The man was looking around at the house with a mild interest and looked up as soon as he smelled the food.

"oooohhh that smells delicious, It's been long since I've had home cooked food" He said cheerfully.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at the man's euphoria; she also couldn't help feeling sad when she thought about what the man must have gone through to have looked the way he did. Curious as to why her husband was being so cautious with the stranger she activated her byakugan to check out stranger.

"Oh my…."

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 **So that's that. Please R &R. See you soon. **


	2. Chapter 2

**So...second chapter's up. Took long enough, but couldn't decide how to proceed with the story.**

 **Please R &R,**

 **Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me**

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 **The Stranger**

Naruto felt Hinata stiffen next to him and turned look at her staring at the stranger with a confused look; she had her byakugan activated, he noticed. She felt his gaze upon her and turned to look at him, shaking her head, indicating that whatever it was, she would talk to him about it later. The stranger on the other hand seemed oblivious to this subtle exchange as he merrily wolfed down the food. The kids watched the man with a fascination, as if seeing a circus wonder.

"Ne, ne…." the stranger began. "What is this island called?" he asked, never taking his eyes of the food.

 _Island_ _?_ Naruto thought, _what the hell is he talking about? He certainly isn't from around here if he doesn't even know a hidden village._

"Don't you know where you are?" he said out loud. "This is the hidden village Konohagakure of the Hi no Kuni."

"Nani? Hi No Kuni? Never heard of it" He declared with a confused look in his eyes and piece of chicken leg waving in his hand. _He certainly isn't the most refined guest I've had at the table_ Naruto thought. But then again, Naruto wasn't the most refined shinobi himself, so he let the thought slide.

What confused him greatly was the fact that, even if this man was not from the Fire Country and from some remote village on the borders of the great nations, he simply must have knowledge of the powerful countries of the world; they had just fought a bloody world war for Kami's sake!

His train of thoughts led him to two conclusions: either the man was mad or he was lying exceptionally well.

All of sudden there was loud thunderclap, it echoed across for quite a few seconds before fading away into the night, and at that instant Naruto remembered seeing the man's eyes when he first opened his doors to the stranger, those eyes which shone with authority and power. Looking at the man's face and remembering that instant, he decided that this man was no fool and the way he spoke, with a slight hint of innocence in his voice, he couldn't have lied a single day in his life.

This led him to the third and final conclusion: he was telling the truth and that he really was from far away, too far away so as to not having heard of the great nations. But that led to another question: Where was he from if not from the great nations, Naruto had never heard of anything lying beyond the great ocean that surrounded their continent.

His thoughts were interrupted as the man spoke again.

"Ne ne, are we still in the New World?" he inquired with an inquisitive look.

"New World? Where is that? Is that where you are from?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm…not as much as where I am _ **from**_ but where I _**was**_ ¸ they are two different places see? And then all of a sudden I was not there and here…does that make any sense?…." He trailed on.

Naruto was seriously reconsidering about the man not being a fool.

"Eh? Wait a minute…..you don't know the new world? " The man asked him with an incredulous look on his face. "Don't you read books and stuff?"

"Oi! It's you who needs reading if…..wait…..what do u mean you were there and then not there?" Naruto enquired.

"Well….i was on my ship one evening, everything seemed fine when all of a sudden there was this violent storm; now violent storms are common place in the new world but this one was really strange." He gobbled some more chicken then continued. "I wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for my navigator" Here a wistful look came over his eyes as he continued "My navigator is the smartest one out there in the new world."He declared proudly, staring pointedly at Naruto then went back to eating. "Anyways, she pointed out that the storm appeared to be centred on an island".

Naruto noticed Hinata, Boruto and Himawari listening intently to the man's story and he couldn't help but feel a bit enthralled himself, his childhood fascination with adventure flaring up at the man's narrative.

"Well that's when I decided that I simply _**had**_ to check it out. A violent storm on a strange unexplored island? That's my stuff right there. I had us make course for the island" The man continued with a grin.

"So you were the captain of your ship?" Naruto enquired.

"Hmm? Oh yeah". The man answered.

Naruto wondered as to how such an erratic person would be capable of being a captain of a ship. He stopped the thought when he remembered that _**he**_ became Hokage of all the people and decided to take the man for his word.

"Still am by the way….." Naruto's thoughts were interrupted as the man spoke again.

"What?"

"Still am the captain of my ship" said the man said looking at him over the candle light with a slight smile.

"Sure Sure" Naruto replied with a smile."What happened next?"

"Well, me, my first mate and my cook decided to check out the island and the rest stayed behind to look after the ship, not that anyone would dare attack _**our**_ ship but just in case."

"You just decided to venture on an unknown island in the middle of the sea?" Hinata spoke suddenly. "That's dangerous isn't it? It could have been anything in the world"

"We three… we three are capable of handling 'anything in the world' " the man spoke with a low, definitive tone and Naruto felt it all of a sudden, a great pressure upon his mind. It lasted for an extremely small amount of time but in that instant he felt his mental faculties being overwhelmed; Kurama growled from within, sensing the disturbance but went back to his slumber once he was assured that there as on danger. Naruto looked around and saw that he was not the only one who felt it. Hinata had a guarded look on her face, her byakugan activated again and her face sweating a little. Boruto and Himawari had confused looks on their faces. Lastly, Naruto looked over at the man, he was sporting sheepish grin as if apologizing for something.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again,

"Well I couldn't _**sense**_ any danger for that matter. So we walked around the place and it was really windy, the entire disturbance seemed to be coming from the middle of the island so we made our way there and…its strange…I remember everything up to that point very clearly but that moment when we entered the clearing I can't seem to recall events with much detail."

Boruto and Himawari were leaning towards the man as he spoke, their faces rapt with attention.

"At the centre of the island the storm wasn't blowing with much ferocity. It was eerily quiet and misty. I remember hearing a long unnatural keening, the kind of sound that raises hairs on your arm. Then I saw it, at the centre of the clearing…..there was this ethereal space floating just above the ground in the middle of the clearing. It looked like a rift in the air and was pulsating with different colours of light, vividly mesmerising. I remember walking towards it, my comrades warning me not to get too close but I kept going. I could see flashes of different images in the surreal apparition, the keening had gotten really loud and there was a strong deafening wind blowing close to the tear. I heard strange noises coming from rift, as if a thousand different people speaking at once…all the while the keening grew louder and louder. Then, all of a sudden the voices stopped….infact I couldn't hear anything or see or feel. There was just…..darkness. Next thing I knew I was in the middle of a forest and everything looked different, the trees, the sky, everything and it wasn't just the environment, It felt abnormal, unnatural….out of place, like I wasn't supposed to be here. I looked around and realized that i was alone, my comrades were nowhere in sight."

"Uhmm…can I have some water please?" The man said all of a sudden.

The Uzumaki family started, all of them were completely focused on the man's story up to this point and the abrupt end to his narration jolted them back to their senses.

"Hai…I'll be right back" Hinata nodded and turned towards the kitchen. "Naruto-kun? Will you come in here and help me with something?"

Naruto, who was still staring at the man, turned towards his wife who was watching him intently. He nodded and got up, "I'll be right back, please help yourself with the food." To his children he said, "Boruto, Himawari keep our guest company" They looked at him and nodded.

Inside the kitchen, Hinata took a glass from the shelves and started filling it with water as Naruto followed her inside.

"You saw something dint you? With the byakugan"

Hinata turned towards him, her eyes on the floor and a pensive look in them.

"I first sensed it when he walked in the door. There was something different about him…..just like he said….unnatural. I thought I should look him up to see what was different about him…." Hinata trailed.

"Hmm…I could feel it to…well? What was it?"

"It's his chakra system Naruto-kun…it…isn't there….."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. The man exuded the personality of a powerful shinobi, an extremely powerful shinobi; as a matter of fact he could recall only three to four instances in his life when he felt thus. All of this, he inferred on the basis of pure instinct. He had been toying with the idea of entering into sage mode to sense the man better. Also, there was _**that**_ moment on the dinner table, that strange pressure he felt. Was it the man's doing? If it was, there was no way that he could pull of a psychic jutsu of _**that**_ magnitude on him without having huge reserves of chakra, and yet…..

"Eh? No chakra? How the hell is that possible" He asked incredulously

"I dint say that he had no chakra….it's just that he doesn't have a chakra regulatory system like a normal person…and I don't know if it even was chakra…."

"Hinataaaa…..you are being all vague again….tell me what you saw exactly…."

"When I activated my byakugan…..i saw a huge mass of _**something**_ swirling chaotically in him, like a massive pool of unchecked energy. It was unlike anything I've ever seen…..the volume of it….the only thing that resembles it even remotely was the chakra pool of the Shinju…"

Naruto frowned at her analysis. The comparison she made dint bode well.

"Naruto-kun….what should we do?" Hinata asked, worry etched in her face.

"Nothing the man has done or said shows that he means harm. On the contrary he appears to be completely harmless the way he acts….a bit soft in the head if u ask me." Naruto concluded.

"Let's just watch him for now. At the moment he just looks like a man in need of food and rest."

"What about his story….ships, islands, this _New World_ place he mentioned….and that rift he talked about." Hinata asked. "None of it sounds real".

"Hmmm, the way he described it, it sounds to me like a crude version of some sort of space-time jutsu…." Naruto sighed, "I don't know whether to believe him or not…as is said...let's just watch him for now and listen to what he has to say."

With that they walked back towards the dining room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just want to clear a few things out:**

 _Italic_ **font means thought.**

 _ **Bold+Italic**_ **means emphasis** _ **.**_

 **As always, i don't own any of the characters in this story  
**

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 **Ronin**

 _It's raining again,_ thought Sasuke as he trudged through the thick vegetation in the denser regions of the forest that surrounded Konoha. Of course the rainfall hadn't _**actually**_ started, but he could sense it coming; the slight drop in temperature, a steady rise in wind speed and the most obvious give-away: the rumbling sky. He preferred staying out for nights like these and routine border patrols offered the best excuse for such excursions. The onset of heavy monsoon rainfalls meant that Sakura spent longer hours at the hospital dealing with the sudden swell in Konoha's disease ridden populace and that Sarada was sent to bed earlier than usual. That left the head of the 3-membered Uchiha clan with a lot of alone time, which was something he vehemently avoided which was quite ironical. Earlier, he would often wish for such moments of solitude and jump at every chance to get away from people's incessant attempts at socializing and it served more than one purpose. Firstly, it got him away from the people he considered to be either loud or inferior or both (Naruto, basically). Furthermore, it gave him the opportunity to brood over his hateful infatuation with certain people…..person. Now, however solitude meant memories, memories that bore down on his conscience with a great weight and reminded him incessantly of his dark and irreversible mistakes before and during the war, like demons in some hell reminding the damned of their sins. He had long ago come to the realization that he would have succumbed to a regret filled insanity had it not been for his family and his friendship with Naruto. They had not only done the impossible by healing him of his mental torment by their presence but had also proved to him that a normal life filled peace and love can be lived.

Which had brought him to his earlier conundrum: How was he to deal with this alone time?

Being the genius that he was, it dint take him long to come up with the solution: distracting exercises. Whenever he would find himself in the predicament of loneliness, he was to immediately engage in pursuits which would forcefully require the fullest attention of his mind. This in turn was the reason for his nocturnal venture. Border patrol was an activity that required one's senses to be sharp and mind completely focussed on the task, the perfect job for one seeking asylum from solitude. Not only that, but ever since returning from his self-searching expedition across the lands he had often had the need for such outings, it occurred to him that this was the consequence of having lived almost his entire life on the move, never rooted to one place for long. As a result, this arrangement suited his purposes perfectly. A quick talk with the 7th and he had an on-demand patrolling duty scheduled whenever he wanted.

 _Should've bought a bloody umbrella,_ he thought as he flew silently through the forest, but what really occupied his mind and the reason for his greater-than-usual urgency was the disturbance he had picked up a while ago. It was routine for him to have his sharingan activated while scouring the forest, not that he needed it; his senses were good enough to detect any decent ninja worth his stealth. It was more of a precaution given the sort of shinobi he had met and the opponents he had faced over the years. It was almost as if fate would have him cultivate this habit because he was sure he wouldn't have spotted the strange happening if dint have his sharingan activated.

He had just set out, 20 minutes out of Konoha when he felt a disturbance in the deeper regions of the forest in the direction he was heading. It was as if a great energy signature was building up (for what exactly he wasn't sure), energy he thought because it dint give off any standard chakra signature he was aware of. His initial theories about the occurrence ranged from rogue-nins accidently blowing themselves up to Konoha's science team experimenting with dangerous materials, both of which had been known to happen before. He gazed in the direction of the disturbance, feeding chakra to his doujutsu to maximize its potential and what he saw made his initial assumptions evaporate quickly. About 20 miles further in the direction he was heading was what appeared to be a man-sized pulsating spheroid of multi-coloured light, it seemed to be floating in mid-air just above the ground. He stopped in his tracks staring at the strangely mesmerizing ball of light. He focused harder, trying to recollect anything he had seen or read that would explain the strange phenomenon just when the anomaly started to fluctuate, expand greatly as if exploding and then subside to nothingness but not before blinding Sasuke with the resulting flash of bright light. His eyes turned from red to onyx and started to water. He stood there in silence still gazing in the direction of the silent blast, his eyes narrowed in thought. _Just when one would think that all the excitement is over..._ as if the freak occurrence wasn't enough, in the last instance of the blast, Sasuke could swear that he saw a figure being thrown out of the centre of the otherworldly ball of light.

He neared the location and eventually came into sight of the blast site. The trees were all lit with fire thickening the night with smoke, they were burnt to a crisp further on. He walked silently, almost gliding and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan as he moved closer to what seemed like ground zero. The blast had cleared all the trees within the vicinity forming a circular meadow like surrounding; a burnt, smoke filled meadow. There appeared to be no one in sight visible or hidden or otherwise. Sasuke sensed for any residual energy/chakra signatures, but none appeared to be, _that's disappointing,_ he thought. He was counting on some leftovers from the blast to perform some posterior analysis of the occurrence. What baffled him was the fact that that there was no one in sight. An explosion of such magnitude and sort could not have happened without a perpetrator…..but that was not what really bothered him, detonations could be done remotely as well. It was the apparition that he had seen in the immediate aftermath of the blast that eluded him. He was sure of it; there _**was**_ a person there, a male, judging by the momentary glimpse he had had. The clearing appeared to be empty now. Sasuke decided to take one last look around when something caught his eye, something green on one of the smouldering trees. Upon closer inspection he saw that it was a piece green cloth with some blood on it. Turning it over in his gloved hand he mused over the new found piece of information. Whoever it was, must have been hurt seriously if they were at the centre of the blast, furthermore the distant location of the torn piece of cloth relative to the blast site suggested that the victim must have taken the full force of brute shockwave from the blast and flown outward with enough momentum to shatter bones. _He won't be staying alive for long if my assessment is right,_ he thought as he kept the piece of cloth in his cloak pocket. Gathering his bearings he began to set out of the clearing. _Funny how I always end up tracking people,_ he thought as he left the smoking trees behind.

The fire crackled away merrily in the silence of the forest, lighting the small clearing surrounded by lush green trees. The moon shone brightly, finally rid of the heavy clouds that had hindered its glory, the rain had stopped and the night was cold and damp. A lone figure sat leaning against a fallen, moss-covered log of tree facing the fire. His torso was bare; showing an impressive and well toned build but riddled with scars and burn marks. He wore a pair of long, black trousers and boots. There were several fresh scratches on his arms and torso, a few of them bleeding profusely. Presently, he was wrapping his left arm in what looked like a soiled piece of green cloth to stymie some of the bleeding. Sasuke had been watching him from the shadows for some time now. It had taken more time than he had initially anticipated to track down the man and he was impressed by his durability to pain and his resilience. Not only had he managed to walk all the way to this clearing after sustaining serious injury but had also managed to set up camp in a small time without so much as a flinch. He observed the man applying the crude first aid to his arm, which seemed to be the most severely damaged. _This one is no stranger to injuries though,_ thought Sasuke as he took in the older scars that were scattered across his body, most notable of them was the one that ran down his left eye which implied that the eye must be critically injured as it was closed the whole time Sasuke was watching him. _No stranger to combat either,_ he assumed eyeing the swords lying beside him, _three swords seem a little unconventional, unless he has a third arm I can't see._

"Baka-yaro Senchou…told him to wait…."Sasuke's musings were interrupted when the man muttered to himself. He had stopped moving and was staring at the fire now.

"ahhhh….where's good sake when you need it most", Sasuke straightened up from his crouched stance as the man kept talking to himself. A few more minutes passed in silence.

"You can come out of the trees now, unless you like looking at half naked men from the trees." Sasuke started, quickly assessing the situation. There was no way the man could have detected his presence. He had maintained absolute silence the whole time and was masking his chakra so well even a Sage would have a hard time detecting him.

"Suit yourself, I was going take a nap anyway, watch on if that's what gets you of." The man continued with what Sasuke assumed was a sneer. Chagrin was slowly starting to take over his usually composed mind. Maybe it was time to confront him with some more than usual Uchiha intimidation.

Sasuke stepped out of the shadows, sharingan blearing, and hand on his sword and started walking towards the camp. He didn't stop walking until he was in front of the man, on the opposite side of the fire. He took a moment to inspect the man closely in the light of the fire. In the light he could better see him, his face was expressionless but his eyes glinted dangerously and showed no fear whatsoever. Perhaps the most remarkable feature that Sasuke had missed out on earlier from the shadows was the man's green hair. _Like sea moss,_ he thought.

"Nice eyes. What do you do, scare kids with it?" The man remarked once more.

Sasuke stared at the man with cold, calculating eyes unable to decide whether to feel indignant at the man's snide comment or to feel surprised at how casually the man made reference to his sharingan.

"Even if you may never have seen the sharingan in the entirety of your life, I'm sure you must have heard of what it is capable of. Now, who are you and why are you in the middle of the forest looking like an unfortunate mountain climber."

Sasuke deliberately left out the fact that he had been following the man all along and his knowledge regarding the man's appearance and injuries.

The green haired man looked at him for a sometime with the same look in his eyes that he had held before finally speaking,

"Do you have any booze on you?"

Caught off-guard by the man's off-topic reply, he replied with a little more intimidation in his tone,

"I believe I asked you a question. With the condition you are in it is best if you quickly answer them if you wish to receive any help. "

In his younger days Sasuke wouldn't have bothered with half dead ruffians in the middle of the forest, rather he would put them out of their misery and look for anything he could salvage from their belongings. His recent change in lifestyle however dictated that he be more humane towards half dead ruffians in the middle of the forest.

The man gave that smirk again before saying,

"Who said I had to answer any questions you are asking. And who said I need to receive any help, these..." he waved his good hand disinterestedly over his wounds "…mere scratches. Nothing some good booze can't solve. Which brings us to _**my**_ first question, do you have any to spare? If you don't, I suggest you get the hell out of here."

Despite his aggravating statement Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little respect for the guy. Here he was, alone in the middle of the forest at night, bleeding like a hog and he had the audacity to speak to the only other person for miles who could help him. It reminded Sasuke of himself, when he was running around with Taka.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke felt that was enough. He let the words sink in. Any cockiness that the man was throwing out must be quickly evaporating. Sasuke rarely played his 'one of the two great saviours card' as again, his new way of life demanded humility but primarily because he didn't need to do so. The end of the 4th great shinobi war was perhaps the most publicized event in the history of the great villages and he and Naruto _**were**_ the end of the 4th great shinobi war.

"Never heard the name" the man said nonchalantly, but the easygoing manner was gone now. It seemed that, the manner in which Sasuke announced himself had caused the man to drop the lackadaisical attitude If not show respect.

"Never heard the name, but I have heard names being announced thusly. And what follows…." He got up, picking up one of his swords, without as much as a flinch "…Is usually not pleasant".

"You shouldn't be standing in that condition", Sasuke looked over his crudely administered first-aid "you shouldn't be conscious in that condition".

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, the man choosing to remain silent, a slight frown creasing his forehead. He seemed to be deep in thought. Sasuke slowly took a step forward,

"Here, let me help. Hand over that sword and sit down for a while. Let us talk." Sasuke's expression softened by the slightest degree. The man's frown deepened. _This better be worth it,_ thought Sasuke.

All of a sudden the man's frown ceased to be and his face became clear of all expression. He took a deep breath, closed his eye and lowered his head slightly before speaking,

"The _way_ teaches that the warrior, whose body has attained all the strength in the world but whose mind has not attained peace and harmony and has not transcended from the mundane through sheer will and determination will leave his _spirit_ tethered to weakness. " With that the man opened his eye and continued "And one whose _spirit_ is weak shall forever be trapped by the illusions of this world."

Sasuke felt a strange thrumming in the wind, minor fluctuations in temperature.

"Illusion that is ignorance….." The thrumming picked up, his surroundings began to look strange, like they were starting to lose colour.

"..Illusion that is hatred…" Strange sparks of light came into and went out of existence, space started to bend unnaturally as if the work of an uncontrolled space-time jutsu.

"..Illusion that is fear…" Voids started to appear, gaps in space of various shapes and sizes. It was as if the very fabric of reality was being warped and strained.

"Illusion that is this world" The man fell silent but the chaos still persisted around them and neither man moved.

Sasuke simply stood there, looking at the man with mild curiosity, unperturbed by the happenings. The man spoke once again,

"To be honest, I don't follow much of that _way_ thing. But it is right on that one account. What good is a swordsman who cannot pay attention to his surroundings…."

Sasuke realized that he dint have much time, he quickly tried to vet the man based on what he had said. The ' _way_ ' he was talking about reminded him of the moral principles that the samurai of the North practised. But they were orthodox in their practices to the point of celibacy. This man here was far from a stranger to the vices of the world. He was a swordsman, that was a given. But no ordinary swordsman, to be able to do what he was doing. Certainly not from the Iron country.

"….who cannot perceive reality as it is." With that the man opened his other eye, the scarred one and Sasuke felt an overwhelming pressure build up in the world and then in his mind and with that Sasuke's Genjutsu broke.

 _A samurai who does not keep the way of the warrior. The way that is his master. A samurai who has abandoned his master. A Ronin….._


	4. Chapter 4

**Game of Predators**

A cold, moist wind started to blow, the kind that usually follows brief showers of rain. The forest seemed to come to life with its nocturnal music, leaves rustling, crickets chirping, and creatures of night quickening as the moon danced with the clouds in the deep hours of the dark. Predators moved in the shadows, some hoping for a last meal, most looking for their first. Everything moved adhering to the routine of the night forest, everything in place as per the rules, save for two men in a clearing and a dying fire. Disturbing the serenity, out of place and unwanted.

Sasuke looked at the man, feeling the thrill of combat stir within him, the sensation that had been dormant since the end of the war. Here was an opponent that had tweaked his interest. To have not only discern his Genjutsu but also break out of it without outside help or by using hand seals. He had done something with his eyes, that momentary burst of _**something**_ had caused the illusion to break.

"Since when did you know?" he asked the man.

"Since long enough…" he paused, looking down the length of his sword, which seemed to be shimmering purple in the light of the fire, "Some sort of illusionary trick? Plays with a person's mind? Bet it has to do something with those eyes….what fruit of the devil have you eaten stranger?" he asked, still not looking at Sasuke and staring down at his sword.

Sasuke had thought at first that the man was fooling around when he refused to recognize the sharingan, but now it seemed that he truly dint know about the doujutsu, _Strange…doesn't seem the kind of person who would be ignorant of combat techniques, doesn't even seem to recognize a Genjutsu .Dint stop him from breaking out of it though._

Before Sasuke could think further he heard a rushing sound and the next thing he noticed was that there was a sword plunged right where his heart should be and sticking out his back. _That was fast_. The green haired man had not moved and was staring at him with the same expressionless face he had earlier, though this time his eyes held curiosity and a little hint of amusement.

"It's not you is it?" He asked with a slight smirk. He was enjoying this.

Sasuke looked at the sword sticking through his chest, the blade shimmering purple "beautiful sword", he said before bursting into a thousand cawing crows that swarmed around the man before dispersing onto the night. The sword fell blade first into the moist forest floor, embedding itself in the wet soil.

Sasuke allowed himself a slight satisfied smile before stepping out of the shadows for the second time that night. Mastering the crow cloning jutsu had given him immense self satisfaction; it was Itachi's signature clone move and the fact that he had learnt to do it after him gave him a sense the Uchiha flame being passed on, not just in blood but in ninjitsu as well.

"You are full of tricks stranger. Reminds me of a clown I used to know, wonder what became of him…." he trailed of, seemingly unperturbed by the chain of events. Sasuke noticed that his bad eye was shut again. He tried to remember what it looked like but perhaps the instance when the Genjutsu broke was too exuberant or maybe he simply wasn't paying attention but for the life of him he couldn't recall.

"Well, enough games. I need to get moving, got some idiots to find" the man said as he donned his dark green coat and began tying the swords and the haramaki. Sasuke looked at him incredulously; he entertained the idea of going into full Susano for a second just to spook him once and for good, but he let that thought slide. He looked at the sword embedded in the dirt, the blade shimmering an eerie purple. He wrapped his hand around the hilt and felt a chill run down the length of his arm.

"It's the troublesome child" The man said, he had packed his belongings and looked ready to leave. Sasuke looked at him and back at back at the blade.

"If you'd be so kind…" the man said, holding out his hand. Sasuke was getting tired of the man dictating the on goings and decided to take control of the situation. He threw the sword over to the man. The stranger caught the weapon, nonplussed at Sasuke's compliance but he decided not to comment on it and started to leave.

"Did I say you could go? State your name and purpose. Where you are from and where is it that you are off to. If I am satisfied with the answers then you can go look for whoever the hell you want to" Sasuke commanded in a firm and slightly threatening voice. To make a point he started to walk slowly towards the man. The guy stopped and looked at him approaching; he hadn't sheathed the sword he had thrown earlier. Suddenly he disappeared and the sword appeared behind Sasuke, a few inches from his neck, but Sasuke had not been idle. As soon as he had sensed the man move he had turned around, leapt back and now stood facing the man. But what caught his attention once again was the speed with which the man moved

 _It isn't teleportation, there isn't any residual chakra associated with all knows techniques,_ he thought, _it seems highly unlikely but he moved purely on speed…but this much speed without use of powerful chakra isn't natural._

Sasuke recalled a passage from a book he had read on physical combat during his training with Orochimaru - 'In confrontations where there is no use of chakra or other sources of energy the result of a duel between nins is determined purely on the basis of mental capacity and physical ability. Of physical abilities, none is more advantageous than speed, for a faster nin can operate at both long and short distances and can execute multiple combat moves in small interval of time. Enhancing speed is one of the most gruelling aspects of shinobi training and requires years of physical development and complete command over fine motor skills. However a nin can only go as fast as his muscle and body allow and the natural limit set by the human skeletal and muscular structure eventually bar the enhancement of speed. At this point a shinobi must resort to the use of chakra to further enhance his movement.'

 _And yet there is no chakra,_ Sasuke thought. _This is no ordinary fighter. I have to put him out in one go; this guy's been dictating things for too long now._

"Amaterasu" Sasuke whispered and let out a small bolt of the black fire towards the man's sword hand, with intention to incapacitate.

Several things happened at once, as the bolt approached him, the man slashed at it with his sword and a fraction of a second later leapt aside. The bolt proceeded to hit a trunk behind him and started to burn. Sasuke let the flames out. _Again with that flash speed._ Amaterasu produces black flames at the focal point of the user's vision. In most situations, this makes Amaterasu impossible to avoid. However, if the target can move fast enough to prevent being focused on, Amaterasu will miss them when it's cast. _I shouldn't have been so hasty. And was the fool trying to cut the fire?!_

"Fire….throughout my journey I have faced many adversaries who commanded the flame in different forms, with different abilities and through different weapons and I learned to best them all. But that"-he pointed at the blackened bark of the tree-"is something I haven't seen. A flame i could not beat. Would you mind…" the man stopped and grabbed Sasuke's sword blade first. A desperate and absurd move, but Sasuke's thrust was true and the blade had found its mark, but it did not penetrate. Sasuke noticed that the man's hands weren't bleeding and that both, the hand grasping the blade and his shoulder (where Sasuke had intended to stab) had turned to a shade of grey. He immediately pulled the sword and leapt back.

"One for each then" The man said with a smirk. "As I was saying, would you mind doing that flame bit again? I want to have another go at it"

"The Amaterasu is not a 'flame bit' that you can play around with, you fool. What were you trying to do, cut it?"

"Yes" he replied nonchalantly, scratching the back of his head and looking once again at the burnt tree "But that dint work did it?

Sasuke decided to have another go with his sword while the man was distracted. He leapt forward and slashed at his leg. The man leapt aside, but Sasuke was already on him and unleashed a fury of powerful slashes. The man dodged them all, all the while holding his sword out and not raising it.

"A swordsman eh? Well isn't that funny" the man said when Sasuke had stopped. He could have gone all out on this punk but the fact that he had broken out of a powerful Genjutsu coupled with his experience in facing opponents with unknown prowess over the years, he decided it was best to analyze him from ground up i.e. start with basic attacks and raise the power level until his opponent's limit is revealed.

Now Sasuke prided in his swordsmanship. His natural physical and mental gifts coupled with his sharingan made him unbeatable in a swordfight. There wasn't a shinobi in all of Konoha, no, in the entire shinobi world that could cross blades with him and give him an actual challenge, save for B and a few other exceptions. The usuratonkachi had become Hokage but couldn't swing a sword without poking himself in the eye.

And being such an exceptional swordsman, it didn't take him long to gauge the skill level of an opponent. _Didn't raise his sword even once! Either he is unnaturally fast or he can sense where I am about to strike next. Or both .But if he is predicting attacks, then how is he doing it?...Could it be?...Naaah…..No way. I'd rather hang myself rather than go through the drama of having another Uchiha running around. Besides, he doesn't look the type._

"Looks like we'll be having company" the man said.

 _The ANBU border patrol squad,_ thought Sasuke. They were part of the border security division of ANBU and were one of the units that routinely patrolled Konoha's borders. Most of the units comprised of trainees and recruits led by senior officers, but nonetheless they were formidable shinobi, the best and the brightest of Konoha's nins.

Sasuke sheathed his Sword. "As much as I'd like to continue this meeting I'm afraid the time for trivialities is over. You are here under suspicious circumstances and have refused to state your name and purpose. Furthermore, you have attempted to assault an officer of a sovereign state." he announced just as the trees rustled and four masked shinobi leapt quietly into the clearing surrounding them both.

 _Its Goro's team_ Sasuke thought, recognizing the masks. _I almost feel sorry for this guy._

Sasuke waited as one of the masked figures, a tall, heavy set man with cropped hair and a dog mask approached him.

"Good evening Lord Sasuke"the man said in a deep voice. "Pleasant night?"

"Good evening Goro. Not too bad." Sasuke replied, "And as I have said earlier, please refrain from the titles. I am no man's lord"

"Even so, a man of your stature, reputation and lineage cannot simply be addressed by name" Goro said and turned to look upon the stranger. "What have we here?"

"A rogue with no regard for authority, anything else remains to be determined." Sasuke said and sheathed his sword. To the stranger he said "On the aforementioned charges I am here by placing you under arrest. You will be taken into custody and questioned regarding your intentions. Once all doubts regarding your motives are clear, further course of action will be determined." Sasuke hated these formalities. His way was to simply force out whatever you wished to inquire on the spot with the necessary means. But this whole protocol charade was a part of 'Getting with the system', as Shikamaru had put it.

"Ehh?" The man simply looked amused. "Custody? I don't have time for that"

"Not just a rogue but a cocky lunatic as well" Goro said. "Do not trouble yourself Uchiha-sama; we will mop this guy up".

"Very well" Sasuke said and turned to leave and in a low voice said to Goro "Use a S+ class Fuinjutsu, The 4-layered Cocoon. I'll send in back up to help with transportation. Once you have him secured in the holding cells, report to me immediately."

 _A tad excessive,_ Goro thought. The 4-layered Cocoon was considered to be one the strongest and most complex containment techniques used primarily to imprison beasts and shinobi of immense physical strength, and only the most skilled Earth types could do it right. Out loud he said "Very well Uchiha-sama".

Sasuke nodded and looked at the swordsman one last time before leaving. He was staring at him intently and just as Sasuke turned to leave, the man flashed him a sinister grin.


End file.
